First Sunday of Advent We are the servants of God, each with his or her own task. We will be judged good stewards if, at His coming, He finds us ready and conscientiously pursuing the tasks to which we have been called. Second Sunday of Advent John the Baptist's call to repentance is echoed in the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter on stewardship: "Christians must beg God for the grace of conversion: the grace to know who they are, to whom they belong, how they are to live — the grace to repent and change and grow, the grace to become good disciples and stewards." Third Sunday of Advent All of the people in today's readings — the prophet Isaiah, the Virgin Mary, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist — seemed to understand clearly and rejoice in what God was culling them to be and to do. Do I? Fourth Sunday of Advent In the first reading, God promises King David that his house and his kingdom will endure forever. It is through Mary's "Yes" — "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say." — that the promise finds fulfillment. See Luke 1:38 Christmas The shepherds who heard the joyous news from the angels on that first Christmas night and then hurried to find the infant Savior must surely have been changed by that experience. How has His coming changed my life? Holy Family "Whatever you do," says St. Paul to the Colossians, "... do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through Him." And so it is that we offer our gifts in the Eucharist "through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit." See Colossians 3:17 New Year's Day The first reading today recalls God's special blessing upon the Israelites. The Lord has been gracious to us as well, pouring into our hearts that spirit which knows Him as Father and makes us His children. May we, like Mary, treasure these things in our hearts and live gratefully! Epiphany
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The three wise men who came from the East to pay homage to the infant Jesus brought Him rich gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as part of their worship. What gifts have I brought to this celebration to offer to the newborn Savior?
